The Love He Craves (The Love She Craves: Selling Her Soul to Declan Book 2)

by Jenkins, Gemma

  “You may have to send a wedding invitation to that kid who hit Cody for bringing you together,” Joseph said.

  Nyxie raised her head and looked at the nurse. “I don’t think so.”

  She reached around and pulled Declan’s hands away. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

  “Nowhere, I just thought I’d turn around and face everyone else.”

  He let her go long enough for her to turn around, then pulled her against his chest and into his erection. Nyxie wiggled her bottom and he softly bit her shoulder next to the spaghetti strap of her little black dress.

  “So, Ari, tell me how you and Declan know each other,” Nyxie asked as she crossed her legs and began bouncing her foot. She knew he’d feel the movement of her bottom against his cock. Asking Ari to talk also drew attention away from their side of the table.

  “We were roommates in medical school,” he began. “I was hoping he was gay, and asked him if he wanted to share a place. For a straight guy, he was pretty cool about me bringing men over, but it got old really quickly when my dates kept hitting on him, and asking if he’d like to join us for a three way.”

  Nyxie continued to grind her bottom slowly into him. He hid his movements of pressing into her by picking up his fork and cutting off a piece of his untouched dish of peach cobbler. He fed her a bite, then took one for himself, until she pushed his hand away. “If I eat any more, I really am going to throw up,” she whispered, turning and grinding her bottom harder.

  He ate the bite on the fork and set it down. His hands moved to her hips and he squeezed slightly. When she ground against him again, he pushed her slightly forward. “I like peaches because they are yellow,” he whispered into her ear. When her hips rotated again, he placed one finger on the nape of her neck. “But my favorite fruit is an apple because it is red.”

  It took the slight touch on her neck to make her realize he was safe-wording her. A moment later, he tapped her thigh twice and she knew he was telling her to uncross her legs.

  Chapter 24

  Rather than finding the speeches boring as she expected, Nyxie discovered they provided a real insight into the program Declan hoped to join, and by association, a small insight into the man she had married. She was as proud of him for all of his hard work to get to this point, as she was when Cody brought home good grades on his report card. But she found herself confused that they had passed him over, when there seemed to be such a great need with the oldest of the Baby Boomers in their seventies and so many more approaching their senior years over the next two decades.

  When the gambling began, everyone could have gone to separate tables with the chips that Declan provided, but by tacit agreement, they all found a Texas Hold ‘em table in the corner that, because no one else had sat down, would hold all of them.

  Nyxie pulled out her phone and took a picture of the table, and dealer. She asked if he’d take a picture of all of them while they were still friends.

  “I can’t wait to tell Cody about this. Before the girls came to live with us, we played Texas Hold ‘em a lot.”

  “Well, Ari and I played our fair share in medical school,” Declan countered, to let her know he was no novice at the game.

  Everyone began playing conservatively and Nyxie noticed how closely Declan watched everyone.

  “Looking for tells?” she asked after about ten minutes.

  “Of course.”

  “Do I have one?”

  “Yeah, you do this adorable thing with your mouth. The corners turn up and you bare your teeth.”

  “Are you telling me I smile?”

  “You mean that’s not a strategy to distract me from my own cards? Did I ever tell you how much I love your smile?”

  “Jeez, Stryker, get a room if you’re going to seduce your wife,” Emily said.

  Nyxie put her hand over her mouth. “I hate my smile. I’m all buck-toothed like a rabbit.”

  “I like your little overbite. It makes your smile unique. And don’t even think of contradicting me on this or I might have to punish you.”

  He said it in such a light, playful tone, that anyone would think he was just joking, but Nyxie knew he was not.

  She pulled in her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled, making her overbite more pronounced. “You’re the one who has to look at my buck teeth, not me.”

  “God, that makes me horny,” he said, and jumped off the high stool he sat on. He came at her so fast and hard, her stool tipped backwards making her squeal as the sensation of falling caught her off guard. She quickly realized, he had complete control of the situation. She gave into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Between the burst of adrenaline when she felt herself falling, and the embarrassment over his very public show of affection, and all those wonderful sensations his kiss evoked, Nyxie was breathing hard and her sex was throbbing with want when he put the chair back down on four legs.

  She laughed as he pulled away.

  “There’s that smile I love.”

  Nyxie tried to suppress it as her attention was caught by people at other tables who were watching them. Declan saw her eyes dart away and turned toward the other people.

  “Newlyweds,” he said to the strangers. “Not even three weeks yet.”

  “Congratulations!” one said back, and suddenly there was a chorus of congrats and best wishes.

  Declan took Nyxie by the hand and began shaking the hands of people congratulating them, and introduced himself and Nyxie. They met doctors, City Council members, and a woman from the Junior League, who invited Nyxie to join if she was interested in volunteering.

  “Come on, Stryker. Can we get back to our game?” Ari asked.

  Declan held Nyxie’s hand to steady her as she climbed back onto the tall seat. He looked into her eyes and smiled until she smiled back at him. “I love you,” he said.

  “Let’s see if you still love me after I’ve taken all of your chips from you.”

  “You think you can beat me?”

  “Like a redheaded stepchild,” she said challengingly.

  Despite having the largest stake, Joseph was the first person to lose all of his chips. He seemed to think he would eventually win a hand if he kept bluffing.

  Emily Saunders had nothing but bad luck all night. When she would finally get a good hand, someone had better cards.

  Declan was the second person to find himself with no bank. He played cards as if he was playing football. Once he had a half-decent hand, he became overly aggressive. Nyxie and the others quickly figured out that he couldn’t resist a raise even if he had nothing more than a pair of twos.

  Nyxie found herself surprised at how well Declan hid the effects of the alcohol he consumed. Although he slowed down his consumption after she took his keys, he did not stop. She wondered how much his alcohol level contributed to being the second person to go bust.

  By the time the auction began, Emily had lost all but $55 worth of chips. Ari had slightly less than $200, and Nyxie had the rest of the chips from their table.

  “Don’t bid on any of the trips,” Declan said. “A lot of those have to be taken in a certain timeframe and I’m already making arrangements for my vacation.”

  Nyxie leaned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you have another Willa out there?”

  “I’m honeymooning with my wife and her kids.” Declan looked suddenly perplexed. “That didn’t come out right. A honeymoon for you and me, and a vacation for the kids—but altogether—separate rooms and all that.”

  “Declan, you take my winnings. I don’t know what to do with them.”

  “You pick out the things you like the best and keep bidding until you run out of money.”

  Declan ushered her up to the small stage where the auction items had been placed on display. There were several trips including a seven-day cruise and one week vacations to Puerto Vallarta, New York or Las Vegas, all donated by local travel agencies. Art galleries had donated two
framed Georgia O’Keeffe prints as well as several others. There was one that was so ugly, Nyxie knew no one would bid for it. She thought she would put in a bid if no one else did, in case the artist was local, because she didn’t want the artist’s feelings hurt.

  She paused in front of a small illuminated display case where jewelry was locked away. A pair of pearl earrings caught her attention. The setting had an Art Deco feel to it—intricate metalwork with a small dangling flower, appeared to be holding a teardrop shaped pearl in it, like a bell.

  “Those earrings are really pretty,” she whispered.

  “The teardrop pearls or the diamond studs?”

  “The pearls. Do you think they’re real pearls? I didn’t know pearls grew in any shape but round.”

  “I’m sure they are.”

  Nyxie looked at them a little while longer and shrugged.

  “I don’t know why I care. It’s not as if I have my ears pierced.”

  “You can get your ears pierced, Nyxie. Heck, I could do it for you if you want, but we have to get some sterile hypoallergenic studs.”

  “Where do you get those?”

  He chuckled. “At the mall. At all the places that will pierce them free if you buy the earrings.”

  She nodded. “I don’t know. I hear it hurts—a lot.” They shared a knowing look.

  There must’ve been fifty gift cards for boutiques and service industries around town.

  “I could get the car wash gift card and the oil change gift card,” she said, liking the practicality of gift cards for something she could use—especially for services to maintain the car he had given her.

  “And what are you going to do with the rest of the $1,500? I can’t imagine those will sell for any more than double the face value—if that.”

  She bit her lip and looked up at him. “I really wish you would bid for me.”

  “I would bid on that choker in the jewelry case,” he said, then leaned down and whispered in her ear. “You’d have the most beautiful collar when we play. I’d love to see you dressed in nothing but that and a pair of restraints.”

  The idea of anything tight around her neck, especially when she was tied up sounded more than a little terrifying to Nyxie, and she suspected he not only grasped that fact, but was also using it as a way to make her bid.

  When the auction was over, Nyxie left the event with the pearl earrings and the two Georgia O’Keeffe prints that Declan suggested she should get and give to Emily because he thought a future gynecologist needed pictures of vaginas for her wall. Emily had refused them, but Nyxie was happy to keep the framed prints, as she liked the pictures. But once Declan had pointed out the resemblance to the female anatomy, Nyxie mentally vanquished the pair to her bedroom wall.

  Declan pouted a bit as she drove him home in his BMW, but she managed to get them home with the car undamaged and no one hurt.

  “Am I spending the night here?” Nyxie asked, as he helped her out of the car and walked to the trunk to retrieve the artwork.

  “It’s your hard limit. I can’t touch you unless you change the rules, and I can tell you I’m too impaired to wield the crop anyway. I’m afraid I might accidentally hurt you.”

  “I don’t think I want to have sex with drunk Declan, but I’d still like to stay with you.”

  He held the door to the mudroom open and waited for her to enter first. “I want you to stay. As a matter of fact, no more separate bedrooms unless you’re being punished.”

  “Does that mean you’ll be over every night when you get off work?”

  She could almost read his thoughts as his expression changed. “Not ready to play stepdad to my kids yet?” she asked.

  “It’s not that I dislike Lotus and Reina,” he said hesitantly. “I just have so much going on right now—especially if I change to internal medicine. God, I hope I don’t have to start my residency over again.”

  “You’ll be back to eighty hour weeks?”

  “Probably.”

  Declan retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator, popped the lid and began drinking it in large gulps. He stopped about halfway through, and retrieved a pair of Tylenol and took them with the remainder of the water.

  Nyxie reached up and placed her hand softly against his face. He looked tired at the prospect of going back to the exhausting resident schedule.

  “What time do you have to be at work in the morning?”

  “Eight.”

  They left the artwork leaning against the wall downstairs and headed up the two flights to his bedroom.

  As Nyxie undressed, Declan picked up her shoes and carried them into his closet. “You can leave these at my place. I have a feeling you’ll wear them in this room more often than anywhere else.”

  Nyxie pulled her little black dress over her head. “May I borrow a T-shirt to sleep in?” she asked as she folded the dress and set it on the leather bench at the foot of the bed.

  “No,” he said with a grin. “Absolutely not.”

  “You’re such a man.”

  “Thank you.”

  Declan picked up her recently folded dress and began reading the inside tag. “Dry clean only. I’ll leave this with my tux. Sonia will take care of it.”

  “Don’t throw that down the chute. I need it for my walk of shame.”

  “For your…?”

  “I have to wear something to go back to my side in the morning.”

  Declan refolded and set the dress back down on the bench and stepped into the bathroom to put his clothing down the chute. He emerged wearing nothing but a smile and a half-erect penis.

  Nyxie, still wearing her bra and panties, pulled back the covers. She tried to ignore his magnificent body because she knew she’d want to have sex with him. With her propensity to be passive aggressive, she knew the reason she didn’t want to have sex with him was that she wanted to punish him for getting drunk.

  With a sigh, Nyxie removed her bra and panties and slid between the sheets. The lights turned off, and soon Declan joined her under the covers. She rolled away from him, giving him her back. He moved up behind her and spooned her. Soon his arms were around her, one arm under her head and neck, the other slipping under her arm. He clamped his hands around her wrists, reminiscent of the position they were in the first night they slept together at the hospital, just days after Cody’s accident.

  “Did you have fun tonight?”

  “I did.”

  “You sound surprised.” Declan released one wrist and reached for her hair to smooth it down as a couple of strays kept tickling his face.

  “A lot of things surprised me tonight.”

  “Such as?” he asked as he continued to stroke the baby-fine texture of her hair. Most women he’d known with black locks tended to have a heavier grain to their strands. He loved the way if felt so silky to his touch. Burying his nose in it, he inhaled the scent from her new shampoo. It was light and floral, and smelled like heaven.

  “Like the way no one seemed bothered that Joseph and his date were both men.”

  Nyxie closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of Declan playing with her hair. She emitted a little moan, and her body stretched of its own accord as the relaxing sensation made her sleepy.

  “They kept it pretty low key. If they were making out, a few people might have voiced their objections.”

  “Do you think they liked each other?” She looked over her shoulder at him, but it was too dark to see anything but his outline.

  “Not really, but you never know.”

  “I don’t think they did either. I think Joseph should get together with Treshaun,” she said, shifting her hips and rubbing her bottom against his cock.

  A slight moan of pleasure came from behind her, making Nyxie smile into the darkness. It felt heady to know she had the ability to excite a man like Declan.

  “What else surprised you?”

  “I was surprised when you kissed me after you’d been drinking, that I didn’t think of my dad. When we had drunks come in
to the truck stop and I’d smell the alcohol on their breath, it felt like Daddy was sitting in the booth. I’d feel sick to my stomach and I always had to take a step back.”

  “Because you were afraid?”

  Nyxie stayed quiet for a long moment. “Yeah.”

  “Are you afraid of me right now?”

  “Leery,” she admitted, after another long pause.

  Although he didn’t make a sound, she felt a rush of air on her neck from his sigh. His forehead came down and made contact with the crown of her head. She arched her back, grinding her bottom into him with an unseen smile on her face.

  “You’re killing me,” he said, stilling her hips with his hand.

  “Does it make me crazy to admit I still want you even though I’m slightly afraid?”

  “Baby, you don’t have to worry. Hard limits are sacred. I know that. If I breached that trust, you will never learn to trust me.”

  “That’s not what I mean. I know you won’t break the hard limit. But even though you have been drinking, I still want to have sex with you, and yet all I can see in my mind is my father raping my mother.”

  Declan kissed the crown of her head and placed his hand on the flat of her stomach, placing her in a tight embrace. Nyxie moaned, and wiggled her bottom against him again. Her hand covered his and guided it upward to her small breast.

  “Nyxie, baby, you’re torturing me,” he said, cupping her breast, and gently squeezing, his thumb rubbing against her nipple. His hips and thighs came forward, pressing into her. “You either need to stop, or rescind the limit.”

  “I didn’t know you when I demanded that limit. I didn’t know who you would become if you were inebriated.”

  “I drank it with food,” he said, as his finger and thumb came together and rolled the tip, progressively increasing to a pinch and making her moan and writhe.

  “I can’t help myself when I’m around you. I want you inside me. I don’t care if you’ve been drinking. Please, sir, please fuck me.”

  Using the arm that went under her head, Declan captured her free wrist in his large hand. She never imagined he could hold both of her thin wrists with one large hand but she quickly realized she was as helpless to break free, as she would have been if he had tied her up. Not that she had any desire to be free of him.